BREAKING NEWS: Doug Ford cheerfully announces the Greenbelt is a scam (May 11, 2023)
What’s going on here?
It’s difficult to know where to start, but let’s look at when the Ontario Greenbelt was created on February 28, 2005 as a result of the Greenbelt Act being passed by the Ontario government, under Premier Dalton McGuinty. The Greenbelt is an area of approximately 2 million acres of ‘remarkably productive farmland and environmentally sensitive areas’ that surround the Built Up Areas that were (and still are!) under threat due to rapid development within the Greater Toronto Hamilton Area (GTHA). There is also a finger that extends northward along the Niagara Escarpment. The protection the Greenbelt provides is important for many reasons. In addition to water and farmland protection – it is also important for flood mitigation, climate resilience, food security, biodiversity, species at risk and green space for recreation. It is also worth noting the Greenbelt has a significant economic impact – estimated at $9.6 Billion and 177,000 full time jobs.
In February 2018, before he was made leader of the Ontario PCs or became premier, Doug Ford was captured on video making a commitment to a group of developers that he would open up the Greenbelt to build housing. This video was made public in April 2018 after he became leader of the Ontario PC party.
Public response was swift, and condemned Ford’s plan to open the Greenbelt.
At first, Ford responded by backing away from his plans, but not completely. On April 30, 2018 Ford made a commitment to add other land to the Greenbelt to make up for any land that is taken out (aka a land swap).
The public was not satisfied with this inadequate response.
May 1, 2018: Doug Ford made his Greenbelt Promise
Doug Ford says his government won’t touch the Greenbelt.
The 2018 provincial election campaign featured vicious attacks that targeted former Premier Kathleen Wynne of the Ontario Liberals and, closer to the election date Ontario NDP leader Andrea Horwath as well. The campaign included viral videos on social media (primarily Facebook)and an aggressive voter contact campaign that mobilized Conservative supporters to turn out to vote through text messages, phone calls, emails, brochures and regular mail. This massive campaign was organized and funded by Ontario Proud – a Conservative political advocacy group founded by Jeff Ballingal, former staff member of Stephen Harper. Ontario Proud was registered as a third party (the legal name for a political advocacy group) that identified itself as a non-partisan, not for profit, grassroots organization. The 2018 election was the first election in Ontario that featured activity of third parties – that were not subject to the bans on donations from corporations or unions that had been applied to political parties, and had no restrictions placed on it with respect to donors or contribution size. The Elections Act does forbid third parties from colluding with political parties – but collusion is difficult to prove. Investigations revealed that Ontario Proud (which has since rebranded itself Canada Proud) received nearly $460,000 in corporate donations – primarily large donations from wealthy developers and construction firms.
In June 2018 Doug Ford was elected Premier of Ontario.
Doug Ford, Steve Clark, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing and PC MPPs, including Brantford-Brant MPP Will Bouma, have repeated their Greenbelt Promise numerous times, in various forms since they were elected in 2018.
Steve Clark, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing tweeted a promise to protect the Greenbelt December 7, 2018: “My commitment to protecting the Greenbelt has not changed. The Greenbelt includes over 2 million acres of land in the GGH including farmlands, forests, wetlands & watersheds. Our government remains steadfast in protecting it for future generations.” The tweet has since been deleted. Below is a screenshot:
Brantford-Brant MPP Will Bouma tweeted his commitment to protect and grow the Greenbelt Aug 3, 2021: “Ontario is committed to protecting and growing the GreenBelt for today and future generations.” The video he posted in the tweet includes Minister of Municipal Affairs & Housing Steve Clark’s comments about protecting the Greenbelt.
Guelph MPP Mike Schreiner, Leader of the Ontario Green Party tweeted a thread November 29, 2022 that provides 19 separate instances when Doug Ford and Steve Clark stated they were committed to protecting and expanding the Greenbelt. ‘In case they need reminding, I’ve compiled a list of all the times Doug Ford and his housing minister Steve Clark said they wouldn’t touch the #Greenbelt (caution: long [thread] ahead)’.
The campaign leading up to the June 2022 Ontario provincial election was unusual
Doug Ford and the PCs provided very little in the way of an election platform. In many cases PC candidates and even Doug Ford himself were ‘no shows’ at all candidate meetings and debates. Will Bouma the incumbent for Brantford-Brant failed to show up and provided no answers to questions for the all candidates meeting held in Paris in May 2022.
On June 3, 2022 Doug Ford and the PCs were re-elected with a majority with a record low voter turnout.
November 2022: Doug Ford announces plans to open the Greenbelt for development
This announcement was carefully timed. It took place shortly after the municipal elections were complete, when municipalities were in the midst of swearing in new councils.
In the announcement (and numerous times since then) Doug Ford stated that removing land from the Greenbelt to build 50,000 homes is necessary because of the need for more affordable housing in Ontario. Ford has repeatedly stated Ontario needs 1.5 million new homes over the next 10 years.
Public response to Doug Ford’s plan to open the Greenbelt has been substantial and overwhelmingly negative.
Holding Doug Ford and PC MPPs Accountable
Doug Ford’s promise to keep their hands off the Greenbelt was one of the very few campaign promises Ford and the PC candidates made.
As it was in 2018, there has been widespread condemnation of Ford’s plan to open up the Greenbelt for development. So far, Doug Ford has chosen to ignore the thousands of emails sent to him, his MPPs and the Environmental Registry of Ontario. There have also been numerous statements of opposition released by professional organizations, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO). First Nations have also expressed objections to this plan and Bill 23 for many reasons. The provincial government failed to consult with Indigenous nations despite the fact that these consultations are legally required. There have also been dozens of well attended public rallies all across the province, including locally, in Brantford.
Alliance for a Liveable Ontario
A growing coalition of hundreds of organizations and individuals – The Alliance for a Liveable Ontario – has come together as a strong and united opposition to the Doug Ford’s increasingly harmful approach to governing the province. The ALO will be providing resources and support for its members. In November 2022, the ALO issued a statement of opposition to Doug Ford’s Bill 23 and his plan to open the Greenbelt. The first all members meeting was held in late January 2023. (It is free to join, we encourage you to sign up.)
Report: There is absolutely no need to open the Greenbelt to build the housing Ontario needs
On February 27, 2023 Environmental Defence announced the release of an ALO report by Kevin Eby that shows municipalities in the Greater Golden Horseshoe already have the capacity for more than 2 million housing units without expanding urban boundaries.
A number of organizations have been coordinating efforts to oppose Ford’s plans to open the Greenbelt and drawing attention to Doug Ford breaking his Greenbelt promise. With strong support from the Small Change Fund and the Water Watchers the Greenbelt Promise Campaign has made lawn signs available, and helped organize dozens and dozens of pop-up rallies that are being held across the province to oppose the plans to open the Greenbelt as well as Bill 23 (now the More Homes Built Faster Act 2022). Brantford Brant We Care has lawn signs available.
Do Doug Ford’s decisions stand up to scrutiny?
Image by Graeme MacKay
Investigations by the media have revealed a number of concerning facts:
- a number of wealthy developers own land located within the Greenbelt who have made significant donations to Doug Ford and the PC party
- some of these developers purchased protected land inside the Greenbelt as recently as September 2022
- a number of the parcels where Greenbelt protections have been removed are owned by these same wealthy developers
- since Ford’s plans to open the Greenbelt for development were announced, a flurry of new requests have been made for additional takeouts by developers
Image: from article in the National Observer (linked above)
The Plot Thickens
Investigations have revealed that several developers attended the wedding festivities for Doug Ford’s daughter in 2022. Some paid $150 per person to attend the Stag & Doe (that has since become known as the Stag & Dough) held in Ford’s backyard in August 2022. Evidence shows that one of these wealthy developers, Mario Cortellucci sat at the same table as Doug Ford at the wedding in September 2022. Ford has been attempting to dismiss all of this as private family events, and claims no knowledge of gifts made by these developers to his daughter and son-in-law. Doug Ford continues to insist there is no problem that he has close relationships with these developers – family friends that he has known for decades.
Multiple Investigations have been requested
The list of investigations is growing. The Ontario Integrity Commissioner, the Auditor General and the OPP have all been requested to investigate various concerns with regards to Doug Ford’s plan to open the Greenbelt and suspicious timing of Greenbelt land purchases .
NDP files integrity complaint over developers’ attendance at Ford family wedding events
Ontario’s integrity commissioner, auditor general launching Greenbelt investigations
OPP reviewing request for police investigation into Ford government’s Greenbelt plans
More fallout over Ontario’s environmental cuts, as watchdogs launch Greenbelt investigations
Margaret Atwood adds her voice
A unique contributor to the controversy swirling around Doug Ford and his government’s dealings with the Greenbelt is Canadian author Margaret Atwood, with a new blog. She has written several less than complimentary posts dedicated to Doug Ford. Needless to say, she has not forgotten that Doug Ford attacked her when she publicly supported Toronto’s libraries. It is well worth your time to read these posts.
Premier Ford, This Is For Your Own Good The groundswell matters.
The Peasants Are Revolting Voters hate being played for suckers. And #Bill23 is sucker bait.
It Ain’t Over The peasants are rolling up their sleeves.
The Fall of the House of Ford? With #Bill23, now the “More Homes Faster” Act, has the self-proclaimed Man of the People finally skewered himself in the butt?
The Magic Greenbelt Will Douglas claim riches and power by seizing the Magic Greenbelt, only to lose his Superpowers? Thrills! Action! Amateur drawing!
Evidence reveals ‘The Greenbelt File’ Cabinet members & Doug Ford’s Staff discussed Greenbelt changes months before announcement
In an important article published May 11, 2023 Emma McIntosh revealed information about the Freedom of Information requests she has filed for The Narwhal. Not only did staff in Doug Ford’s office breach privacy, the heavily redacted emails she gained access to revealed there had been discussions in the Premier’s office about changes to the Greenbelt nicknamed “The Greenbelt File” going back to at least August 23, 2022 – months before the changes were announced. Both Ford and Housing Minister Steve Clark have said they only found out about the Greenbelt proposal shortly before the public did, on Nov. 4, 2022.
The excellent reporting by journalists covering the Greenbelt for The Narwhal, Emma McIntosh, Fatima Syed and Denise Balkissoon means it’s worth your while to keep an eye on their website and tweets. It is worthwhile noting this publication is 100% reader funded, so please consider paying to subscribe.
Misinformation, Fact-checking and a different version of the Greenbelt Timeline
You saw the Timeline here first, but on May 12, 2023 Global News published a timeline of events related to the Greenbelt “What did Doug Ford Say About the Greenbelt – A Timeline of Promises“. The video included with this story is a jaw-dropping video of Doug Ford spewing disinformation and falsehoods in response to reporter’s questions. Contrary to what Doug Ford would have you believe, Premier Kathleen Wynne refused more than 725 take-out requests for the Greenbelt and the 17 adjustments that were permitted to the Greenbelt were small mapping corrections, errors being corrected and other minor adjustments of usually less than a few acres – a stark contrast to Ford’s destruction of thousands of acres of Greenbelt lands. Contrary to Ford’s claims, his government is encouraging the destruction of wetlands, and the supposed 2,000 acres of Urban River Valley lands Ford plans to add to Greenbelt were already protected, owned by the government, and were not facing development pressures.
Greenbelt Promise Campaign
Help support efforts to hold Doug Ford and his MPPs accountable!
Click here to request a lawn sign, sign up for our mailing list and learn more about actions you can take to oppose their efforts to undermine the Greenbelt and Ontario’s future
Resources
More information regarding Doug Ford’s Greenbelt Promise, events surrounding Ford’s plans to open the Greenbelt for development and opposition to Ford’s plans are in the table below